Chapter 9
When Link awoke in the morning, only Zelda was in the cave with him. The fire had gone out, but it was warmer now that the sun was up. The sky outside was gray and overcast, although it didn't seem to be raining at the moment. He sat up stiffly, trying not to disturb the princess.
She sat up right after him, though, and her eyes looked less sleepy than his felt. She moved into a seated position, leaning against the back of the cave. Outside, they could hear the thin trickle of water and the chirping of birds.
"Where did Malu and Velta go?" Link asked.
"They slipped out not long ago," Zelda said. "They wanted to hurry back to Zora's Domain to deliver all the news they heard last night." She paused, looking at him. "I've never seen you sleep that deeply. Are you all right?"
"Yes. Did you get some sleep?"
"Some. I feel better."
"Have you seen Zenno?"
"No. He must still be meeting with the other scouts."
Link found himself itching to move into their usual morning routine. Get the horses ready, make some breakfast, get on the road.
They had no horses. No food. And no road forward, until they knew enough to move.
"It will either happen today," Zelda said slowly, tipping her head back against the rock wall and looking up at the ceiling, "or it won't ever. Accessing my sealing powers. We are out of time."
Link nodded slowly. By nightfall, they would arrive at the secret entrance to the castle. By this time tomorrow morning, their battle against Ganon would be decided, one way or the other.
"I had time to think yesterday," Zelda said, speaking in the same dream-like way. "While we were floating down the river. I was thinking: Mipha tried to tell me something, back at the foot of Mount Lanayru. Something important about how she heals people. Something she thought would help me with my powers. But she didn't finish." She turned to look at Link. "Do you have any idea what it was?"
"No."
Thinking of Mipha was both pain and pleasure. What was it she had been trying to tell him yesterday, about the Zora armor she was making? It had seemed important.
"Did you ever see her use her powers?" Zelda pressed.
"Lots of times." Despite himself, Link found himself smiling a little. "Her little brother Sidon and I... we played rough. We were always getting hurt. Mipha would patch us up again."
Zelda sat up a little straighter, looking eager. "Well... how did she do it? Anything you can tell me might be helpful."
"I don't know. She just held out her hands, and the power flowed out. It felt cool. Like water washing over your skin."
"And did she... did she say anything? Recite any words, or... or... I mean, what was her technique? Was it something she studied in a text, or learned from another Zora?" The scientist in Zelda was popping out again. Link half-expected her to produce her notebook and begin taking notes. But of course she didn't have it here.
"I don't think so," he answered her. "Mipha was the first Zora in three generations who could do it. She didn't even know that she could, until one day it just... happened."
"So... so she just concentrated very hard, then?"
"Not really," Link said honestly. "She used to talk to me while she was doing it. But it wasn't reciting or anything like that. She just-" He broke off, embarrassed to say.
"Well, what?" Zelda demanded. "Oh, Link, please tell me! It may help me!"
"She just talked about me. Scolded me for being reckless. Told me how worried she got when I was hurt. And then I'd look down, and it was done. I was fine again."
Zelda let out a huff of air. "I don't understand... I don't understand! How could it come so easily to her, when I have to fight for mine? Tell me honestly. You've seen her work her magic, and you've seen me try to. What is the difference between us?"
Link thought carefully. "The times I've seen you try... you looked like you were in pain."
"I focus as hard as I can. I always get a terrible headache."
"Mipha looked relaxed."
Zelda looked even more upset. "I'm supposed to relax? When people are about to die in front of me? Well, that can't be right!" She quickly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Link. I'm not arguing with you. I'm just trying to understand. I... I have another question."
She took a deep breath. "Yesterday I saw you doing something with the Master Sword I've never seen you do before. You were shooting beams of light against Vah Naboris. I don't know if you've noticed, since it was on your back most of the night, but the jewel on the Sword has shone a little brighter ever since then."
Surprised, Link drew the Sword from its sheath and looked at it. She was right! It wasn't glowing with full force, not like he remembered seeing it in some of his dreams of the other heroes, but there was a noticeable difference.
"My question is: how did you know how to do it?" Zelda asked intently. "How did you shoot those beams of light?"
"I didn't know I could," he admitted. "It just... happened."
"Oh, that again," she said impatiently. "But what was going through your mind when it happened?"
"Nothing at all. I couldn't think. I believed my mother was about to die. All I could do was feel."
Zelda was quiet for a long moment, thinking about that.
"Then you are like Mipha, I think," she said at last. "She feels for the person who is hurt. You feel for the people you must protect, and then your powers flow. I... I have been trying and trying to think my way through everything. But perhaps you were right, what you said on the way back from the Spring of Wisdom. Perhaps this doesn't work like science after all."
Zelda fell silent, looking down at her right hand, but she seemed more thoughtful than sad. He decided this wasn't the time to try to distract her from her pain, and he leaned back against the wall beside her and joined his silence to hers.
They sat that way, shoulders touching, together but lost in their own thoughts, until they heard the scrape of boots against rock, and Zenno climbed into view and joined them in the cave.
This time there was another Sheikah warrior with him, a younger man, although he had the same white hair so many of the Sheikah had from birth. Zenno introduced him as Goji. Goji immediately got onto their good side by handing them some rations for their breakfast. Meaty rice balls again, but this time they were fresher, and there was a more generous portion.
"We have good news, Princess," Zenno said while they ate hungrily. "Two of the Rito scouts returned early this morning after spreading Captain Imbert's orders to as many garrisons as they could reach. I believe we have a good plan to get the two of you inside Fort Hateno. The Rito have volunteered to fly you there."
"The Guardian lasers!" Link objected, swallowing quickly so he could talk. "They could target the Rito even in the air!"
"Well, come down and talk to them about it, then," Zenno said calmly.
Link quickly finished eating and then strapped the Master Sword onto his back. He and Zelda carefully climbed down from the mouth of the cave until they stood on solid ground once more. They found the two Rito scouts waiting for them there, and Zenno introduced them to each other.
Fliss was a tall warrior, his feathers white and his wings tipped with gray. Nedli was a little smaller, though she still towered over both Link and Zelda, and the edges of her wings and the crest of her head were olive green. Both carried feathered Rito spears, falcon bows and kite shields strapped to their backs.
Nedli, it turned out, had just returned from an overnight flight to Akkala Citadel to warn the knights stationed there of the situation with the Guardians and the Divine Beasts. Zelda reacted with concern over how tired she must be, but Nedli only laughed.
"Don't worry about that, princess!" she exclaimed. "They gave me a good breakfast of salmon glazed with honey!" She patted her belly in a satisfied way with her wing. "I feel as though I could take on Calamity Ganon himself!"
Link began explaining to Fliss his concerns over the Guardians targeting them mid-air. Fliss listened with stoic face and nodded seriously at his words, but when Link was done, he cleared his throat briefly.
"I flew from Kolomo Garrison to Castle Town last night," he said in a deep voice, and Link raised his eyebrows in surprise: Fliss must be the very Rito that had relayed Captain Imbert's orders to Castle Town in time to save all the civilians living there. "I was shot at by Guardians more than once. They seem to have trouble with airborne targets. They kept firing at where I was, instead of where I would be by the time the energy discharge reached me. As long as we fly fast enough, I believe we will be safe."
"What about arrows?" Link asked. "There might be monsters on Blatchery Plain, too."
"We'll fly high and fast, young man. The arrows can't reach us until we dive low to drop you off inside the walls. It isn't likely they could hit me, but even if they did-" He shrugged his shoulders. "I have flown short distances with arrows in my wings before. If we cannot avoid a hard landing, I can simply arrange for us to fall into the river, inside the walls of the fort. You can swim, can you not?"
"Yes, but what about you?"
Fliss frowned, as if not understanding the question.
"We were told that Revali was likely attacked by Calamity Ganon inside the Rito Divine Beast," Nedli said, her voice going a little softer. "He was our brother in arms, you see. We trained with him, growing up." Her voice strengthened. "It is our intention to do whatever will hurt Calamity Ganon the most. He would not want the two of you to arrive safely in the fort. Therefore, we will see it done."
Fliss nodded curtly at her words, and seemed to think that was enough.
Link and Zelda exchanged glances.
"You're going, aren't you?" Zelda said to Link softly, pulling him aside and putting her head close by his. "No matter how dangerous?"
"I told the Goddess I was willing to serve," Link whispered back. "This is what she's asked of me."
"And I have vowed to protect you," Zelda whispered. "I'm going too, then. Someone must ensure you do not act too recklessly." She laughed a little, and then sobered, hesitating a moment. "You are... the only real friend I've had since my mother died, Link. I should feel frightened, I think. But I don't. Not if you're with me."
"We'll get into Fort Hateno, make a plan with Captain Brion, and then get to the castle," Link said, confidence surging through him.
"And then we do what they want," Zelda finished, glancing at the Rito pair. "Whatever will hurt Calamity Ganon the most."
Link nodded. It was enough.
They made their preparations, and then Link climbed onto Fliss's back, and Zelda climbed onto Nedli's.
"We'll be watching your progress closely from the edge of Blatchery Plain," Zenno told them, and Goji nodded in agreement. "If you get into trouble, we'll do what we can to help. Good luck, Princess, Link."
The two Sheikah saluted them solemnly as Fliss and Nedli launched into the air, flapping their wings powerfully. Link held on tight, and then they were rising rapidly on strong wing-beats, heading northwest.
Soon they were high in the air, high enough that Link shivered a little in his champion's tunic. At least it was no longer raining, although the sky was gray enough that he thought it might rain later. He leaned over Fliss's shoulder and saw that the trees below, spread out at the base of Dueling Peaks, were now green dots.
Fliss began a slow, majestic glide turn to the east. Link gazed at Blatchery Plain below them, blotched with blue where the heavy rains of the day before had created shallow, ephemeral ponds. There were small gray dots down there, crawling this way and that on the plains. Guardians. Several dozen of them, Link thought. There were also a few fires, judging by the wispy columns of smoke. Monster camps, probably.
Unfortunately, the army would have to charge through all of that to get them to the castle. Unless...
Link looked over at Zelda, clinging to Nedli's back as they flew in tandem with Fliss. Her white dress rippled with the wind of their passage. Her expression was tense, but not despairing. All the fears and griefs that had led to her collapse yesterday remained, but today she seemed different. More at peace. She looked like he had felt, coming down from his pilgrimage to the Spring of Wisdom after he had come of age, when he had been strangely certain that he was ready to be a knight and handle all the burdens that came with it.
Hope bloomed. Maybe she would be able to summon her sealing powers today. Maybe it would make all the difference for them.
They were gliding over Blatchery Plain now. Much too high for the Guardians to notice them. Link could see the thin gray line that was the western wall protecting the fort, and the sheltering cliffs around it. The triangular space inside teemed with knights, alive and well. All they had to do was get inside, and they would be safe.
"Prepare for descent!" Fliss shouted over his shoulder, and Link took a fresh grip on the Rito's armor in preparation.
Abruptly, Fliss angled downward and pressed his wings back against his sides, narrowing his body against the drag of the wind. Link gasped as his feet flew up into the air, trailing along behind them as they shot down toward the ground as swiftly as an arrow. He heard Zelda make a similar noise as she and Nedli shot downward at the same speed. Instantly Link's vision was blurred with tears as the wind blasted against his face. Squinting, he turned his head to the side, trying to mitigate the discomfort, and then he saw movement to their right that gave him pause.
There was a deep depression between the cliffs and Mount Rozudo to the south, known to the locals as Oakle's Navel, with a permanent basin of clear blue water in its depths. Something was rising up out of that depression.
Something enormous. Something that glowed magenta. Something with great, spreading wings and rapidly spinning propellers that were launching it straight up into the air in defiance of its terrible weight and size. Link instantly went cold all over.
"Fliss! Fliss!" he shouted as hard as he could against the wind, slapping the Rito warrior's shoulder to get his attention. "Vah Medoh! It's Vah Medoh!"
Fliss glanced to the right, and uttered a startled exclamation. Beside him, Nedli and Zelda also turned to look, and cried out as one.
Emerging from Oakle's Navel, Vah Medoh banked and headed straight toward them. Or maybe the four of them were too small to see yet, and it was heading straight for Fort Hateno, just as they were. Either way, it was a disaster. Link knew for a fact that Vah Medoh had four laser cannons installed on its exterior, in addition to the single large cannon it boasted like the other three Divine Beasts.
Even the smaller laser cannons could decimate the forces sitting inside the fort. The Guardians waiting outside wouldn't need to do anything. Vah Medoh could finish off the Hylian forces all on its own.
Fliss and Nedli seemed to have come to the same conclusion, as they both pulled out of their steep dives in tandem. The inside of the fort was no longer a place of safety for them.
"What can we do?" Nedli shouted urgently. "Is there any way we can chase it off, or damage its weapons from up here?"
"It has a defensive energy shield that will surround it the moment it detects a threat!" Zelda shouted. "We won't be able to board!"
"But the laser cannons on the four emitters will be exposed!" Link responded. "We could hit them at least!" He had been able to do the same to Vah Naboris.
"Shutting those down will mean nothing if we can't deactivate its main cannon!" Zelda shot back. "Those power nodes are inside the Beast, and it has long since recharged after Revali demonstrated it for us! Unless-" She broke off.
Link hated to think about it, but Vah Medoh had almost certainly been in the vicinity of Hyrule Castle last night. There was every chance in the world Calamity Ganon had already used that main cannon to attack their forces there.
In which case, it would not be ready to fire again yet.
He knew that was a big assumption. But if it was true, they had a hope of disabling the smaller laser cannons. Then Vah Medoh would be forced to retreat until it had finished recharging. It would buy them time to carry out an evacuation of Fort Hateno or make an offensive plan.
"We must try," Zelda said at last, looking grim. "If we don't disable Vah Medoh now, it will pursue us and any escort we take toward the castle. We'll never make it there."
Nedli and Fliss nodded, and veered as one toward the Divine Beast.
It didn't take long to approach it, and no sooner had they gotten close enough to pick out the details of its bird-like head, the Divine Beast deployed four cone-shaped shield emitters. They shot outward from the vehicle and took up positions in the air near its head, tail, and each wingtip. Seconds later, Vah Medoh vanished beneath the protective bubble of its defensive shield, now glowing magenta instead of its usual blue.
"We need to hit those emitters with everything we've got!" Link shouted to Fliss as he angled toward the one near Vah Medoh's head. "Be careful, there are laser cannons mounted on them!"
No sooner were the words out of his mouth, the nearest cannon opened fire on them.
Instantly, Nedli and Fliss veered apart, Nedli darting right and Fliss going left. The targeting mechanism of the laser cannon followed Nedli, and she began to zigzag in the air, working to evade the explosions as Zelda clung tightly to her back.
While the laser was focused on her, Fliss drew his falcon bow with his powerful feet, taking aim at the emitter with a specialized Rito arrow that fizzled with a lit fuse. He hovered briefly by back-winging, and released the string with a twang. The bomb arrow flew straight and true, hitting the emitter with a satisfying explosion.
But when the smoke cleared, they could see it still rotating to target Nedli. Before Fliss could reach for a second arrow, Link had already unsheathed the Master Sword, and with a pulse of power that came straight from his heart, he send a beam of light spinning from the blade toward the emitter.
It struck, and a column of thick black smoke poured from the emitter. They had disabled it.
Link glanced over to make sure Nedli and Zelda were unharmed, and then the four of them headed toward the next emitter, the one mounted near Vah Medoh's right wingtip.
As soon as it opened fire, Nedli and Fliss once again dove apart. This time, the targeting mechanism followed Fliss and Link.
"Hang on tight!" Fliss shouted over his shoulder, and Link hastily sheathed his Sword and gripped with both hands, crouching low and doing his best to lean in the correct directions as Fliss performed sharply executed evasive maneuvers.
An explosion went off in the air, close enough that Link felt the heat of it wash over them, but they were unharmed, and a second later they heard an answering explosion as Nedli shot a bomb arrow of her own against the emitter. She had clearly been paying attention to Fliss and Link's attack earlier, and she sent a second arrow flying immediately after.
The two explosions finished off the wingtip emitter, which blew out black smoke that streamed behind Vah Medoh. Fliss grunted with approval, and he and Nedli headed for the emitter located near the Divine Beast's tail.
A red dot appeared on Nedli's chest as she flapped toward the emitter, and she wheeled sharply to avoid the explosion she knew was coming. Seeing his opportunity, Fliss soared in from a different direction, readying an arrow.
And then the targeting mechanism abruptly swiveled away from Nedli, and toward Fliss.
"Fliss!" Link shouted in warning, but the warrior had already seen the problem. He tucked his wings in tightly against his body, and he and Link plummeted downward.
Too slow. The explosion went off over their heads, and they both cried out as they were singed by the blossoming heat. Link coughed vigorously, eyes tearing up as he choked on smoke. All the while, incredibly, Fliss was still tilting his wings left and right, moving in unpredictable ways even as he gasped for breath through his wide-open beak. The feathers cresting his head were smoking from their close call. Quickly, Link smothered the smoldering embers with his hands.
Above them, they heard two explosions in rapid succession. Nedli had destroyed the third emitter while it was busy trying to knock Fliss out of the sky.
Link glanced down, and saw that they were nearly within range of Fort Hateno. They had to finish this quickly, or Captain Brion's knights below would shortly fall under attack. Link's brothers in arms. He had vowed to protect them.
With a determined groan, Fliss flapped his wings powerfully to regain the elevation they had lost. His aim was true as he headed toward the fourth and final emitter on Vah Medoh's left wingtip, but he seemed to be struggling against the gusts of wind generated by the Divine Beast's propellers.
Nedli noticed his struggle, and abruptly she cut in front of him just in time to draw the attention of the last laser cannon. It fired at her eagerly, and Fliss let out a strangled cry as he put all his effort into it, and managed to get them high enough to get within range of their target.
"I got this one!" Link shouted, wanting Fliss to save his strength for the flight. He unsheathed the Master Sword once more, and then channeled the heat of his love for his fellow knights from his heart through his blade with a sharp chopping motion. A splash of light spun through the air and struck the emitter, followed closely by a second.
Smoke poured out, and the magenta shield of energy surrounded Vah Medoh fizzled out.
Link heard Nedli's cry of triumph as she wheeled around and closed the distance between them until he could see the relieved expression on Zelda's face as she clung to the Rito scout's back. A flush of tentative hope warmed Link's face despite the cold breeze blasting against his skin. At the very least, they had just averted a crisis for Fort Hateno; Vah Medoh was now slowly, majestically turning aside from its target. Apparently it still needed to recharge its main cannon. For the moment, it was weaponless.
A second later it occurred to Link that with the shield down, they could go a step further. They could actually board the Divine Beast! And maybe Zelda would be able to regain control of it, with three warriors here to help her fight whatever corruption Ganon had introduced to it. If they could do that, getting to Hyrule Castle would be a simple matter. They could fly Vah Medoh straight there! Maybe even unleash its main cannon against Ganon and weaken him before Link and Zelda faced him and finally sealed him away.
"Land on its back!" Zelda shouted at the Rito, pointing below. She must have come to the same conclusion as Link. They exchanged looks, and Link nodded to her encouragingly. A faint smile touched Zelda's lips, and he thought he knew why. On Vah Medoh, she would at last be in her element. All the painstaking research she had done on this ancient technology would finally pay off. They would win one of their stolen weapons back from Calamity Ganon. It was a good feeling.
Fliss angled his wings, swooping low in preparation to touch down on Vah Medoh's back, Nedli at his side.
Link caught motion out of the corner of his eye as they descended. What was that? Something hovering close by them, something transparent that nevertheless blurred the gray clouds behind it. Something that twisted around and around itself in a regular pattern.
A tornado!
Link opened his mouth to shout a warning, but everything that happened next, happened so quickly that he never got the chance.
He got the barest of glimpses at something else nearby. A hulking figure made of the same black and magenta smoke that now circled Hyrule Castle. Link caught the vague impression of one long thin arm and an even longer, thicker one with something enormous clutched in its hand, something round that pulsed with blue energy, almost like a great eye winking at him.
The light flashed, and a great ball of blue energy shot toward them.
It was so close to them that there was no time to dodge. The ball of energy struck Fliss in the chest with a blue flash, and the Rito warrior took the impact without a sound.
The next thing Link knew, he was cartwheeling through the sky.
His arms and legs flailed uselessly as he spun and twisted every which way. He could not tell up from down. There was nothing to grab. The wind tore at him, and he struggled to breathe. He couldn't see Fliss anywhere. Vah Medoh was shrinking rapidly in his blurred vision. He was falling! Falling with incredible speed.
His heart raced faster than it ever had before. Every inch of his skin tingled with horror. He found that he couldn't cry out. There was nothing between him and the far-distant ground. He couldn't even control his tumble. There was nothing he could do.
He panicked.
Underneath the panic, a familiar memory stirred inside.
Something from a dream, a dream that had often come to him from his earliest years, a dream of a boy who lived in the sky.
A boy who learned to take a joyful, running leap from the safety of his island and plummet through the bottomless sky unafraid, knowing there would always be a whirl of scarlet feathers to rise up from below and catch him.
That boy had known exactly how to control the movements of his body mid-air.
Link discovered that his muscles remembered what to do, even if he could never have explained it in words. Instinctively, he flung his arms and legs outward and began tilting his body forward and backward and side to side in small, controlled motions.
It took longer than he wanted it to, and his stomach swooped sickeningly each time he made an adjustment, but finally Link got himself into a stable orientation, facing down toward the ground, arms and legs spreadeagled and slowing his speed noticeably. His panic receded somewhat.
He still couldn't see Fliss anywhere.
He wanted to look up to see what was happening with Vah Medoh, and Nedli, and Zelda, but he knew even turning his head might start him spinning again. He tried to make himself breathe normally, even as he watched Blatchery Plain below loom larger and larger in his blurred vision. What now?
A flapping sound caught his attention, and Link looked to the right out of the corner of his eye, careful not to turn his head.
Nedli had descended to his level by tucking her wings against her body, but he saw her grimace with pain as she spread them out again in an attempt to match her speed to his. Link was relieved to see that Zelda was still perched on her back and seemed to be fine, except for the fear in her eyes as she watched him fall.
Would Nedli be able to carry him, too? Carrying even one Hylian was a strain for the Rito. And Nedli was injured: he could see that almost her entire left wing was blackened and burned. One of her legs hung limp. That creature on Vah Medoh, whatever it was, had clearly hit her with the same energy weapon that had struck Fliss.
It looked like she was afraid to even maneuver herself over to Link, for fear of dislodging Zelda from her perch.
Link let his eyes slide shut, and he relaxed into the memories of the chosen hero from the sky. He knew how to steer his falls. Without opening his eyes, he began to sculpt the wind with his limbs in the old familiar way. A strange calm came over him.
He could feel himself veering to the right, but in a controlled, gradual way. A few seconds later, a small hand closed around his wrist and pulled him gently until his outstretched fingers brushed the armor on Nedli's back. He grasped it tightly, and opened his eyes.
He and Zelda were clinging to Nedli's armor together, secure for the moment but falling fast. Now that he was closer, Link could see that the damage to Nedli's wing was worse than he thought. She had both wings tucked against her body now, avoiding the pain that the drag of the wind was clearly causing her. The ground was coming up fast. The trees below were no longer mere dots of green.
Link remembered what Fliss had said about using the Squabble River as an emergency landing. But he could see that there was no way for them to make it that far. Instead, Nedli was aiming them toward the shallow, ephemeral ponds on Blatchery Plain.
"I'll begin slowing at the last possible moment!" Nedli shouted back over her shoulder, her voice strained. "Be ready for a rough landing!"
They were nearly down now. Link tensed his muscles in preparation.
Abruptly, Nedli spread out both wings like sails, and they slowed dramatically, even as she cried out in pain, the burned feathers on her left wing shedding as the wind of their fall whipped against them.
They were right over a pond. Link and Zelda took deep breaths and held them. Nedli cried out in pain once more, wings desperately outstretched to their fullest, and then they hit the water.
The impact was more painful than Link anticipated, even though Nedli hit first and took the brunt of it. Link plunged underwater, his shoulder slamming almost immediately against the muddy bottom of the pond. He thrashed his arms, pushing off against the bottom with his feet, and a few seconds later his head broke free of the surface.
He took in grateful breaths, treading water. His shoulder was sore, but not too bad. Zelda's head broke the surface near him and she gasped for breath, working to keep her head above water.
Nedli came to the surface last. It took several heartbeats before they realized she wasn't moving.
Without hesitation, they both grabbed her and worked together to tow the Rito to the side of the pond. Once they had her up on the bank, Zelda bent over her.
"Oh no!" she cried out brokenly. "Oh, Nedli!"
A grinding mechanical sound came from close by. Their heads snapped up and they whirled to see that a Guardian was crawling toward them through the grass, probably attracted by the sound of their fall.
"Nedli! Get up, quick!" Zelda whispered, shaking her shoulder frantically.
"She's gone," Link said shortly. He reached over and pulled the kite shield off Nedli's back, strapping it to his own arm, and then he grabbed Zelda's hand and pulled her away.
She let him lead her, and seconds later they were running flat out across Blatchery Plain, heading for the gray walls of Fort Hateno. Link glanced back over his shoulder. The Guardian was pursuing them. Unhampered by trees, it could see them and follow them easily. It was going to catch up to them long before they reached the gate.
They ran until the last possible moment, when the red dot of a targeting laser appeared on Zelda's back.
"Lie down flat! Keep crawling toward the gate!" he shouted at her, and she obeyed without question, throwing herself down and disappearing into the tall grass. Turning to face the Guardian, Link readied his shield.
Its targeting laser had already switched to him. Link stood his ground, waiting patiently as the Guardian positioned its legs carefully before firing its laser cannon at him.
Time slowed. He batted the laser away with Nedli's shield. It bounced back and struck the Guardian in its "eye." A thin stream of smoke poured out, but the Guardian merely positioned itself again and targeted again.
He deflected its fire a second time, listening all the time to Zelda's soft gasps as she kept moving toward the fort on her belly. He had to keep his shield up and his eyes on the Guardian, but he backed away slowly, keeping pace with Zelda's progress. He deflected the third shot, and the Guardian sagged, its power flickering out.
Link glanced up. There were two more Guardians coming toward them.
"Get up and run!" he shouted to Zelda, and together they raced toward the fort wall.
They didn't get far before red dots appeared on their backs. Once more, Zelda dove down into the grass. Once more, Link turned to face them.
His heart pounded in his chest. Fighting two at once... he wasn't sure it was possible. Both red dots were now focused on the same spot on his shield. While he was busy parrying one laser away, the other one could easily hit him. After a beat, he did the only thing he could think of. Holding his shield steady in front of him, he pulled the Master Sword from its sheath on his back.
He kept his eyes on the Guardian that had targeted him first, guessing it would fire first, ready to parry as soon as it did. Then, without looking at it, he swung the Master Sword in the direction of the other Guardian, using a sharp chopping motion.
The heat of his care and concern for Zelda flowed from his heart and down his arm into the blade. Out of the side of his eye Link saw a whirl of light spin off from the Master Sword toward the second Guardian.
He never saw if it hit, because at that moment, the first Guardian fired its laser cannon at him. Reflexively he parried with his shield.
He was almost too slow, with his attention divided this way. But the laser bounced away and struck the Guardian. It did a satisfying amount of damage, though it didn't finish the machine off.
He risked a glance toward the second Guardian. His sword beam must have landed true, because it had been briefly stunned, long enough that it didn't blast him while he was busy facing the other.
But now it recovered, repositioning its legs and targeting him once more. A second later, its partner targeted him too.
Quickly, Link switched sides, moving the shield to his right arm and putting the Sword in his left. He wasn't used to fighting this way, but he knew that once again, the first one to target him would be the first one to fire. He kept his eyes on that one, shield at the ready, and sent a sword beam at the other without looking.
Somehow, he managed to execute the same maneuver. Just in the nick of time, he parried the blast that came at him. An instant later, the one he had stunned recovered, and he switched hands again in time to shield-parry its final blast. Its head sagged and its machinery powered down. He whirled just in time to shoot one more sword beam at the other before it could fire. It, too, sagged and went motionless.
Link gasped for breath and paused to wipe the sweat from his palms onto his trousers. He couldn't believe he had pulled that off. The sudden release of tension made him tremble, but he shouted at Zelda to run, and together they ran toward the fort wall again.
They didn't get far before they heard churning legs behind them. They turned, and saw three Guardians heading their way. Zelda made a sound of dismay, and they put on a fresh surge of speed. But within moments, they were targeted, and she was forced to flatten herself to the ground.
How could he fight three? Link's mind raced, looking for possibilities as he turned to face them. But all he could think was that Zenno and Goji had promised to watch their progress from the edge of this field. Were the Sheikah warriors seeing this happen? Would they be brave enough to enter the death trap that was Blatchery Field? And if they were, would they even be able to make it to them in time to help?
The Guardian in the center targeted him, and seconds later the pair coming around to flank him did the same. Link kept his eyes on the center Guardian, shield at the ready. There was no time for hesitation. He swung the Sword blindly to the right, and thought he hit that one with a splash of light. He swung the Sword the other direction, aiming for the one on the left. It was awkward, pointing the Sword across his body with his shield still up, and although he couldn't look, he thought he had missed. There had been no sound of power fizzling. He chopped the Sword again, sending out a second beam of light.
Bad timing. At the same instant, the Guardian in the center blasted its laser cannon at him. He tried to parry with his shield, but he was an instant too slow. The kite shield shattered from the impact, and he staggered backward, debris flying in a wave of heat. Behind him, he heard Zelda gasp in dismay from her hiding place in the grass.
Stunned, Link quickly shook his head and tried to regroup. He was singed. He hurt. He could feel some of his strength ebbing away. But now there were three red dots on his chest, and he had no idea which of the Guardians had been first to target him, and no shield to parry with anyway. Thinking fast, he sent a sword beam against the machine closest to him and then dodged around, getting behind it. It immediately spun around to face him, of course, but one of the other Guardians loosed a barrage in that moment that hit the unfortunate Guardian that was inadvertently shielding Link as he crouched behind it. It was stunned, energy crackling across its surface, and Link took advantage of the opportunity to slash off one leg, then two, then three in rapid succession.
As sharp as the Master Sword was, it wasn't easy. He swung with all his strength, but it took multiple hits to get each leg off. Finally, the thing tipped over, unbalanced by the loss of half its legs, and Link stabbed its underside ferociously, uncomfortably aware that the other two Guardians were now coming around to flank him again. If he could just finish this one off before they started firing again!
Two red dots appeared on his body, and Link got in one last blow and hastily staggered back, readying himself. His throat burned with dryness and he could hardly catch his breath. He glanced at the Master Sword in his hand, and was shocked at what he saw.
The blade was dripping with the strange black and magenta sludge that had corrupted the Guardian he had just been slashing at. Now it was the Master Sword that was corroded, its metal turning black, its sharp edges chipped and damaged in a way that he hadn't thought possible. Not for a blade forged by the Goddess herself.
His heart seemed to stop.
The Guardian he had been stabbing powered down, and it lay there on its side like a dead thing. There was no time to appreciate his success. Link swung the Master Sword toward one of the pair remaining, intending to stun it with a sword beam.
Nothing happened.
Shocked, Link tried to do it again.
Nothing happened.
It fired at him.
There was nothing he could do. No shield. Nothing to dodge behind. On pure instinct he tried to throw himself flat on the ground, but it didn't help.
The laser cannon struck him, and everything went dark.
When the light came back, Link found Zelda shaking his shoulder frantically from where they both lay in the grass.
Every inch of him hurt. He tried to get up, but nothing seemed to work right.
He looked down at his body and saw two red dots on his chest. Eyes widening, he looked up. The remaining Guardians had seen where he had fallen and they were advancing on him, stabilizing their legs, getting ready to fire.
Zelda was right next to him, in the line of fire.
He found that suddenly, he could move. It hurt unlike anything that had ever hurt him before, but he staggered up and dashed recklessly toward the closest one, slashing his Sword wildly, barely taking the time to aim.
A mechanical leg came off. He ran around the Guardian so that its body would shield him from the other. He hacked at another leg on the way. The Master Sword was so chipped and corroded that it wasn't as sharp as before, but he finally managed to hit the thing enough times to take off another leg.
The other Guardian circled around and loomed over him. Link ran around his target once more, legs shaking with exhaustion, and shouted in desperation as he hacked at a third leg. Finally, the machine began to tip.
The Guardian chasing him discharged its laser cannon.
Link was only partially sheltered behind the damaged Guardian, and the same laser that inadvertently finished off the machine he'd just been attacking hit him, too.
He flew backwards and landed on the ground hard, knocking the breath out of his lungs.
He sprawled there and didn't want to move anymore.
But slowly, almost against his will, Link began to recover some of his senses. He could feel the muddy ground beneath him. He could hear mechanical legs churning nearby. His own breath was loud and ragged in his ears.
His vision had narrowed to only a small circle. Everything else was gray and fuzzed.
He didn't feel right. It was more than just the pain. Something was very wrong.
He rolled to his side with difficulty. Zelda was only feet away from him, pressed down to the ground in her muddy white dress, looking at him. A tear was slowly rolling from the corner of her eye.
He pushed up onto his hands and knees. Slow and clumsy. He felt as weak as a baby.
A Guardian foot came down between them.
He made himself get up. The world spun around him. He almost passed out, but by sheer willpower he held himself upright. The Master Sword was still in his hand. He swung it at the Guardian, his vision too impaired to allow him to aim for anything in particular.
The Sword was making contact. He could tell by the clanging of metal on metal, the vibrations that traveled up his arms with every blow. He thought he saw a dot of red dancing over him, and that seemed bad, but he couldn't think what to do about it.
He just kept swinging.
Finally, he got too tired to swing anymore. He stumbled down onto one knee, the point of the blackened Master Sword biting down into the ground, its support the only thing keeping him upright.
He waited for the explosion that must come, but it didn't come. He squinted through the gray fuzz that was his vision, and finally realized that the last of the Guardians was sprawled on the ground in front of him, its mechanical head sagging in its housing. Its magenta light had gone out.
Link sighed deeply. They were supposed to start running again now. But he needed a minute to rest. Just a minute...
Orange embers drifted through the air. The grass was burning. His skin was burned. The sky was gray, but it didn't rain.
If only it would rain. The coolness would feel nice. Like Mipha's healing power washing over him.
Mipha. If only she were here...
Mechanical legs churned. Link looked up and saw more Guardians coming. How many? He squinted. It was so hard to see. Four? No, five.
He felt Zelda's hand on his shoulder. She was standing behind him.
She should run for the fort now. He wanted to tell her that, but the words wouldn't come.
"Link! Save yourself! Go!" she shouted at him, squeezing his shoulder urgently. "I'll be fine! Don't worry about me! Run!"
No. That wasn't going to happen.
With heroic effort, Link staggered back onto his feet, tugging the tip of the Master Sword free from the ground.
Five Guardians at once. It didn't matter that it was impossible. It didn't matter that he could barely see. He had to fight them. He had to protect Zelda.
The leading Guardian scrambled toward them, coming to a stop between two of the machines he had just defeated. It straightened its legs, making itself taller, and then he saw a flash of red cut through his graying vision. It was targeting him.
He tried to move toward it, wanting to slash at its legs, but he couldn't. It was all he could do just to stay upright.
"No!" Zelda shouted, and she darted around him, placing herself between him and the Guardian with arms outstretched.
No. That wasn't right. He was supposed to protect her. Except... hadn't she said something about wanting to protect him?
Zelda looked strange, standing in front of him. Her white dress wasn't white anymore. It was golden. Link blinked, and blinked again. Something was wrong with his eyes.
Zelda's entire body was suffused with golden light. Her hair, her skin, her dress, even her sandaled feet. It was a light that didn't burn or blind. Like the light that pulsed from the Master Sword when he had first laid eyes on it.
Her palm was up in a warding gesture, as if she thought she could fight back the Guardian without any weapon to her name at all.
A new shape appeared on the back of her hand. The sacred symbol of the Triforce.
A heartbeat later, a huge sphere of light blew outward from her hand, washing over the Guardian in front of them and the four others that were coming up behind it. A pillar of light shot straight up into the sky, directly over Zelda's head.
The Guardian's head sagged, and its legs went limp. It collapsed between the two Guardians Link had destroyed. A puff of black and magenta smoke escaped its shell and dissipated into the air.
Calamity Ganon's influence had left it.
The other four Guardians collapsed one by one, expelling smoke. A silence fell. The grass around them burned.
Zelda looked at her hand in wonderment. "Was... was that... the power?" she asked hesitantly.
Relief coursed through Link. The Guardians were destroyed. She was safe. He didn't have to fight anymore.
She was safe.
Finally, he let go.
The edges of his vision faded from gray to black. He felt himself hit the ground, although his body had gone strangely numb.
"No, no!"
Zelda's voice seemed far away. He vaguely felt a hand shaking his shoulder. "Link, get up!"
An arm slid under him and propped him up a little. That was better. Easier to breathe. He took in a shaky breath and then coughed weakly.
"You're going to be just fine," Zelda's voice told him, cradling him close.
He wanted to see her face, but when he opened his eyes, there was nothing but darkness before him.
A few raindrops splashed on his skin. It felt nice and cool.
He sighed deeply, relaxing into her arms, and after that, he didn't feel anything at all.
When Link opened his eyes again, he was standing in a strange place.
There was nothing before him. Not even a sky or a color. Just... blankness.
Instinctively, he looked down at his hand, the one that had just been clutching the Master Sword.
He was now holding someone's hand instead.
He looked over to see the strangest woman he had ever seen. Her whole face was steel blue. Hair as stiff as a helmet. Eyes oddly blank. It wasn't even her hand he was holding, really. It was more like the tip of a wing, though she didn't look anything like a Rito.
He let out a gasp and pulled his hand away.
She looked at him and said something. It sounded nothing like words – only a strangely musical jumble of sounds – yet somehow he understood her perfectly.
"Don't you remember me, Master?" she asked.
He stared at her, and slowly recognition dawned. He did know her. They all knew her. All of the heroes of Hyrule. The Master Sword! It was just that he'd never seen her spirit form, as the Hero of the Sky had first known her.
"Fi?" he asked in wonderment, taking a step toward her.
Her expression cleared. The faint hint of a smile touched her lips.
And then her face fell, and she bowed her head.
"I am sorry, Master," she said softly. "I failed you."
"You didn't fail me," he said quickly. He looked around once more at the blankness that surrounded him, and he thought back over the events of the last few minutes.
He didn't hurt anymore. He could see just fine again. Not that there was much to see here. This place didn't even seem like a place at all. It was more like... a space between places.
It was like a cold wind blowing straight through him when the realization hit.
He knew where he was. He knew what had just happened.
"You didn't fail me," he said again, and he squeezed his eyes shut, regret pouring out from him like water from a cup. "It was me, Fi.
"I failed."
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's note: As always, I'd love to know what you think!
